The strength of Balorick was now most vividly displayed as Zephyr, a Marine Admiral, was easily subdued by Balorick.
This was the gap in power.
It was also the performance of Balorick's continuously growing strength after constantly devouring blood tributes.
Zephyr looked at Balorick in disbelief, his heart filled with immense shock.
He could never have imagined that he would be captured so easily.
What he had not imagined even more was that he would die in such a manner one day.
Balorick's hand pierced through his full body Armament Haki defense, grasping his heart.
The intense pain caused his breathing to cease, and even the sounds he made were mere gasps.
"Jie hahaha!"
Balorick let out an excited, pathological laugh as he looked at Zephyr's pained expression.
Admirals, he had never killed one before.
But now, he had, and it was Zephyr, a renowned figure in the Navy, serving as the Head Instructor.
"Teacher!"
"Admiral!"
"Teacher!"
A group of Marine officers and soldiers watched in disbelief as Zephyr, his chest pierced and heart exposed, was held by Balorick. They were all immensely shocked.
For a moment, countless soldiers and officers shed tears.
Many of these soldiers and officers had been personally trained by Zephyr since the training camp. They had deep affection for him and profound respect.
Yet now, their respected and admired mentor died before their very eyes.
"Balorick!"
Kuzan, covered in blood, endured a punch from Kenshiro and charged towards Balorick, roaring and launching an attack.
"Ice Burst!"
Balorick laughed heartily as he saw Kuzan charging, completely disregarding him. He casually tossed Zephyr towards Kuzan.
Kuzan's pupils contracted slightly. His body dissolved into ice elementals. Simultaneously, Kuzan reappeared on a pile of ice shards that were shooting out, catching Zephyr and preventing him from being caught in the crossfire.
"Give me your heart as well," Balorick said, no longer holding back.
Kuzan was also an Admiral, powerful in his own right. His heart and blood would be very delicious and provide him with great strength.
Kuzan hastily dodged. As he moved, a chilling aura was released, and ice clones appeared with his movements, transforming into ice sculptures in an attempt to block Balorick's attack.
*Puchi!*
Balorick's hand pierced through Kuzan's chest. Although it wasn't his heart, it was still extremely dangerous for Kuzan.
Even more so, Kuzan could clearly feel his Devil Fruit powers dissipating.
"What a good show!"
Benedict suddenly appeared, lunging towards Balorick, who was about to suck Kuzan's blood.
Balorick didn't hesitate to pull his hand back, letting Kuzan go, and quickly dodged.
"Slurp!"
"So delicious!"
"What a sweet taste."
Balorick licked the blood on his arm, a pathological look of madness and obsession on his face.
Meanwhile, Balorick's other clones also gathered.
Each clone had a red light flashing. As they drew closer, they magically merged together.
More directly, one clone devoured another.
Opening its mouth, it bit into the clone's neck, madly absorbing its blood and power until the entire clone was absorbed as energy.
This was like raising Gu, where hundreds or thousands of Gu worms were placed in a single tank to fight each other, and the one that survived was the Gu King.
Through such consumption, in a mere moment, only three clones remained around Balorick.
Each clone possessed the strength of a Vice-Admiral.
However, considering the nature of vampires, these clones' combat power was estimated to be that of an Admiral.
Even if newly promoted to Admiral, they were formidable.
During this time, Benedict ignored Balorick.
Instead, he turned his attention to Kuzan and Zephyr.
After Balorick withdrew his hand, Kuzan immediately used his Devil Fruit ability to freeze his wound completely with ice.
Not only himself, but Zephyr was also entirely encased in ice.
"Kuzan, I have always held both you and Zephyr in high regard."
"Now, not only you, but your teacher, Zephyr, also has a chance to live."
Benedict, who valued Kuzan's character and rationality, also recognized Zephyr's unwavering sense of justice.
However, they were somewhat resistant to the idea of a change of affiliation.
Kuzan, holding the frozen Zephyr in an attempt to buy time, remained silent.
Naturally, he did not answer Benedict's question.
"Time is limited, one minute."
"Zephyr's heart is gone. Freezing him and then unfreezing him will only be in vain."
"A person without a heart, no matter how good the doctor, is useless."
"Let alone the chance of treatment after thawing, even now, he is rapidly dying."
Benedict glanced at Balorick, who was reveling in his own actions, and then said with a cold sneer, "A person without a heart, can they still live?"
Kuzan initially intended to ignore Benedict and stick to his own plan.
However, after Benedict uttered these words, Kuzan froze.
Indeed, a person without a heart, could they live?
"What do you want?" Kuzan asked in a low voice.
Benedict's eyes gleamed as he took out two Senzu beans and said gravely, "Join the Xuanwu Navy, and I can revive Zephyr and quickly heal your injuries, restoring you to peak strength."
Kuzan looked at the Senzu beans in Benedict's hand and fell silent.
Kuzan could guess that these were the methods to heal his injuries and even revive Zephyr.
"I can, but not now!" Kuzan, with no time for hesitation, responded sternly.
"Alright!" Benedict trusted that Kuzan was not one to break a promise.
With a flick of his finger, a Senzu bean flew out. "Release your Devil Fruit ability."
Kuzan opened his mouth and bit into the Senzu bean.
A cracking sound echoed as a surge of energy rapidly circulated within his body.
As his Devil Fruit ability was released, his injuries healed quickly, along with his stamina.
In just two breaths, he was restored to peak strength.
At the same time, Zephyr shed his ice shell and spat out a mouthful of blood, his hazy consciousness returning.
Benedict's palm glowed with a green light, and he popped a Senzu bean into his own mouth, covering it with his hand.
The miraculous effect of the Senzu bean quickly manifested.
At a visible rate, Zephyr's wounds began to heal rapidly, and a brand new heart grew.
His originally pale complexion gradually turned ruddy as his heart beat and blood circulated.
His once weak limbs were now filled with vitality.
To everyone's shocked and delighted gaze, Zephyr, who should have been dead, stood up once again.
Balorick's mouth hung open in astonishment.
Unbelievable!
How was this possible?
How could a person without a heart still be alive?
Had I eaten a fake heart?